MoDOT: Flashing yellow arrow means left turn yield

Yellow is the new green in some parts of the state. The Missouri Departmentof Transportation installed flashing yellow arrow signals at threeintersection in St. Louis on an experimental basis three years ago inleft turn lanes.

MoDOT project manager Trent Brooks says other states have successfully implemented the new system.

Brooks says the new flashing yellow arrow signal is going in at aleft turn in Tipton, in mid-Missouri, and that other locations willlikely be on the list.

A national study conducted for the Federal Highway Administrationdemonstrated the new indication helps to prevent crashes, move moretraffic through intersections, and provide additional trafficmanagement flexibility for road agencies.

A new flashing yellow arrow signal is going in at a left turn in Tipton, in mid-Missouri.

Brooks says the system will likey be installed in other parts of the state in the future.

"Based on the trial run, we included the flashing yellow signals in ourengineering policy guide as of Jan. 1, 2009 as a tool for our districtsto use if they believe it is the best option," says Sally Oxenhandler, MoDOT spokeswoman. "While our use of the … signals is fairly new, they are not a new concept in the United States."

MoDOT expects the new signals to become the preferred signal display for future yielding left turns, Oxenhandler says.

For more information about this project or other transportation-related matters, call (888) ASK-MoDOT (275-6636) or visit www.modot.org .